President Obama Signs Violence Against Women Act

After drama, stalling, and, finally, passage in the House and Senate, President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act into law today.

"This is a country where everyone should be able to pursue their own measure of happiness and live their lives free from fear—no matter who you are, no matter who you love," said the President, who pushed for VAWA's passage in his State of the Union address." Today is about the millions of women who are out there right now looking for a lifeline."

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The act, hatched by then-senator Joe Biden in 1994, gives federal funding to law enforcement and other programs aiming to crack down on domestic and sexual violence against women. Protective features under VAWA include a national hotline for women facing abuse, protection from abusers across state lines, and housing assistance that would enable women to remove themselves from abusive homes.

VAWA expired in January, after conservative lawmakers refused to approve add-ons to the bill that would also protect same-sex couples, undocumented immigrants, and Native Americans. But the squabbles didn't cloud today's signing.